Ruben Amorim rejected a late attempt by Benfica to sign Pervis Estupiñán in the closing weeks of the mercato, according to Record.
The left-back spent most of the summer linked with a move away after a first season at Milan that fell short of expectations. Aston Villa were the most persistent suitors and looked to have a deal in reach, but Amorim asked to keep him and run the rule over him in preseason before making any call.
That decision reshaped the rest of his window. Benfica, one of Amorim's former clubs, entered the picture in August and made several approaches to bring Estupiñán to Lisbon. Record reports that the coach again told the board he did not want to sell, viewing the Ecuadorian as part of his plans.
With Estupiñán off the table, Manuel Rui Costa's side turned elsewhere for the left flank and signed Souffian El Karouani from Al-Qadisiya on loan with an option to buy.
Estupiñán had originally been listed among the players most likely to leave, but a few weeks of working with him under Amorim changed the situation. The former Brighton man is now firmly in the picture rather than a name being pushed towards the exit.
His minutes back that up. Estupiñán has started two of Milan's three league games so far, against Torino and Juventus, the sign of a player Amorim wanted to see for himself before letting the market decide.
For a squad that spent the summer trimming names off the wage bill, keeping a full-back the coach trusts on the left says the decision was Amorim's to make, and he made it.